Ben Jones

Fifty-nine players were paid more money in free agency than Akiem Hicks a year ago and 49 received larger guarantees.

A little more than 24 months after being dumped in a trade by the Saints, Hicks will return to New Orleans on Sunday for the first time as possibly the best free-agent signing of 2016, and as the player the Saints once envisioned — a destructive force on the defensive line.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace has had his swings and misses in three years of free agency and Hicks represents a home run, a building block in the prime of his career, which is difficult to find in the NFL's shopping season. Hicks is off to the best start of his career with six sacks...

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Fifty-nine players were paid more money in free agency than Akiem Hicks a year ago and 49 received larger guarantees.
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